House fire kills Cook County judge's brother

The brother of Cook County Circuit Court Judge Aurelia Pucinski was found dead Thursday afternoon after a fire broke out on the second floor of the family's longtime home on the Northwest Side.

Christopher Pucinski, 48, who lived alone in the house in the 6300 block of North Louise Avenue, was the sole victim of the fire, his sister said. He had lived in the home with his late father, Roman Pucinski, the former congressman and Chicago alderman who died in 2002.

"He was a good brother, loving son and uncle. We're going to miss him," said Aurelia Pucinski, a former Cook County clerk of the Circuit Court from 1988 to 2000.

The fire was reported by a neighbor about 1:20 p.m. Thursday, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Josh Dennis said. It was struck out shortly after, about 1:40 p.m., Dennis said.

As firefighters entered the two-story house to battle the flames, they found Pucinski's body on the second floor lying near the origin of the fire in what looked like an office, District Fire Chief George Lynch said. The fire was contained to two rooms of the upper floor, he said.

Lynch said the cause of the fire was under investigation. A hazardous materials team was called to the scene as a precaution, police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.

Aurelia Pucinski said the two-story home has been in the Pucinski family since it was built in 1967. Christopher Pucinski had never married and had no children, she said.

Despite a father and sister in politics, Christopher Pucinski "marched to the beat of a different drummer," his sister said. "He was very shy. He didn't like politics and getting in front of cameras."

Christopher Pucinski also struggled with personal problems, including drugs, that led to convictions for cocaine possession in 1976 and 1988.

"My brother had his problems, but he faced them head-on," his sister said. "His past was beyond him. He was looking forward to a new career. It's a tragedy that this happened now."

Aurelia Pucinski said her brother was studying "different opportunities" in financial markets.

Christopher Pucinski's few brushes with publicity were not enjoyable experiences. His arrests and two drug convictions were covered by Chicago news media. Then in 2003, then-Gov. George Ryan pardoned him for both convictions, an action that made the news because of his family's work in politics.

On Thursday, neighbors said Pucinski was a quiet man who didn't socialize much with others in the neighborhood.

Kay Fegan, a neighbor, said she knew him, but not well.

"I knew him to see him," Fegan said. "He was very quiet and kept to himself. But he was really nice, and I feel very bad."

Aurelia Pucinski said her brother will be missed by her and her family, but that they have fond memories of him.

"We're going to remember him as a guy who had a lot of nutty stories at Christmas," she said. "He was a fellow who could make you laugh."